To Form a Heart
by ZS Fan
Summary: Taichi attempts to convey his feelings to Yamato in the most roundabout, unconventional way, which doesn't quite end as he had expected. The other Chosen Children are accidental witnesses. Taito; Season 1. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Weird summary, I know. This story was originally supposed to be a oneshot based on my Taito pic but it ended up being extended by events instead. Sigh. Well, enjoy reading the first part :) I'll be using Jap names and suffixes as usual.

_-san: Used to address someone older than you, in respect_

_-kun: Used in respect, can be used to address someone younger or the same age. Usually used for boys but can be used for girls too_

_-chan: Used to address girls, but can be used to address boys as a sign of affection_

_Onii-chan: Informal term for big brother_

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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><p>"Yamato…"<p>

"No."

Taichi pouted. "Please?" He pleaded.

"No!" Yamato glared at him, eying him with disbelieving blue eyes. "No way, Taichi!"

"Yes way!" Taichi insisted, his pout deepening with the increasing intensity of Yamato's glare. "Please, Yama?"

"Don't call me that!"

Taichi grimaced as Yamato glowered at him, twitching. "R-Right…" he held up his hands in a peace gesture, then clasped them together, blinking huge brown eyes at the irate blond. "Yamato…"

"No, Taichi!" Yamato yelled at him, crossing his arms, "Give me one good reason why I should do something so…stupid with you?_!_"

The blond turned away with a huff, missing the flash of hurt in his friend's eyes. Taichi thought for a while in the silence that followed, then declared with a smile, "I know, Yamato!"

"What?" Yamato muttered.

Taichi grinned and looped an arm around his friend's shoulders, "'Cause I would be able to die happy if you did it with me!" He tilted his head, meeting Yamato's wide eyes with a smile. "You want me to die happy, don't you, Yamato?"

"W-What are you saying!_?_" Taichi started as Yamato pushed his hand off his shoulder, leaning forward, his blue eyes flashing, a flush on his cheeks, "Idiot! You're not going to die!"

Taichi blinked, rubbing the back of his head, "Well of course not! But just in case-" he winced as Yamato looked like he was about to hit him, and quickly shifted away from the dangerous topic, "A-Anyway! I don't have anyone else I can do it with! I can't do it with Jyou, Mimi, Takeru, Hikari, Koushiro-Sora-wait," he paused, musing with a finger to his chin. "Maybe I can do it with Sora. She is my childhood friend after all."

Yamato's eyes widened. For some reason, the image of Taichi doing with Sora something so cheesy made him feel uncomfortable. He bit his lip, and against his own will, said reluctantly, "I'll do it."

Taichi blinked. He looked at Yamato, unsure if he had imagined the blond's voice. He smiled as he saw that Yamato was blushing. "What was that?"

Yamato flushed, avoiding Taichi's gaze, "I said I'll do it." He voiced louder. "I'll do it with you."

Taichi couldn't resist grinning, "Awww, Yama!" He gushed happily, flinging himself onto the startled blond. "Could it be, you're jealous?" The brunette said mischievously, "You're so cute when you're jealous, Yamato."

"Get off me!" Yamato shoved Taichi away, face red and blue eyes blazing, "I'm not cute! And I'm _not_ jealous! Why would I be?_!_"

Taichi just smiled sheepishly at him. He reached out and grabbed Yamato's arm. "C'mon!" The courageous leader grinned as he pulled the surprised blond up from the ground, winking, "Let's go, Yamato!"

"Where are we going?" Yamato asked as Taichi pulled him along.

"Somewhere nice and sunny!" Taichi declared happily, "It's gotta be somewhere special!"

"Why?" Yamato said grumpily. "I haven't done something so…cheesy before." He added. "But it's not as if it's anything complicated."

"Because you're special!" Taichi said as he smiled at him and Yamato felt his heart involuntarily skip a beat as heat rose to his cheeks. "It wouldn't be memorable if we just did it back there!"

Yamato sighed, looking away as Taichi led him to their destination.

"Whatever you say."

* * *

><p>Yamato looked around at the grassy area. They were out of the forest and were in open land. The sun was shining brightly down on them, but it wasn't as hot as he would have expected it to be. The digiworld's sun must dull in comparison to the real world's.<p>

Yamato turned his gaze away from the expanse of blue sky stretching across the world that had once been unknown to him. He looked at the brown haired boy whom had landed in the previously new world with him, raising an eyebrow. "So? How do we do it?"

Taichi made a thoughtful noise and Yamato watched as he placed his fingers together. He smiled at the shape they had formed, looking up and giving Yamato a grin as bright as the sunlight.

"Like this!" Taichi parted his fingers, stretching out his left hand towards Yamato. He curled his thumb and index finger, raising his gaze to Yamato expectantly. "Come on Yamato! I can't form the heart without you."

Yamato blushed. He stared at his fingers, then at Taichi, who was grinning widely at him. He clenched and unclenched his right hand, feeling suddenly awkward. "I-I can't do this."

"Eh? Why?_!_" Taichi demanded in disappointment as he withdrew his hand.

"B-Because it's embarrassing!" Yamato countered, fists clenched as he glared at Taichi.

"Why would it be embarrassing?" Taichi asked, puzzled. He looked around. "No one's watching!"

"You are!" Yamato pointed out heatedly.

Taichi blinked. "Ah." He said. He scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I won't look at you, okay?"

He smiled at Yamato, and held his hand out again, curling his fingers in the same manner as before. "Hurry, Yamato! The others will be looking for us soon."

Yamato started. If the others found them, he would never hear the end of it. He grimaced, as he unclenched his fist. Why had he even agreed to do this in the first place? Why did Taichi even want to…form a stupid heart with him?

Sighing at Taichi's eager expression, Yamato inhaled, swallowed, then reached out his hand towards Taichi's.

It was better to get it over and done with.

* * *

><p>"Taichi! Taichi!"<p>

Sora frowned at the lack of reply. She had walked around the area that they had chosen to take a break in, and she couldn't find the leader of their group anywhere.

"Taichi's missing?" Jyou asked as he walked up to her. "I can't find Yamato either."

Sora nodded. "It's strange," she said, as she looked at Agumon. "He didn't take Agumon with him."

"Gabumon's here too." Jyou agreed, as he turned his gaze to Yamato's digimon.

"Where could they have gone?" Mimi asked worriedly, as she came up with the rest of the Chosen Children. She gasped as a realization came to her, "Do you think they could have gotten lost in this forest?_!_"

"Unlikely. If they went off together, I doubt Yamato-kun would want to go deeper into the forest," Koushiro pointed out logically. "They probably went out of this forest."

"Hmmm…" Sora said thoughtfully.

"Why don't we ask the digimon where they went?" Takeru suggested. He nodded determinedly. "I'm sure Gabumon knows!"

"That's right!" Hikari smiled. She turned, running over to Taichi's partner, "Agumon!"

Agumon blinked, "What is it, Hikari?"

"Did you see where my brother went?"

"Ah, Taichi?" Agumon pointed a claw towards the entrance of the forest. "He went out of the forest with Yamato."

"Why didn't you go with him?_!_" Sora demanded worriedly.

"Well," Agumon scratched the side of his neck, "He didn't look like he needed me to come along with him."

"There aren't any digimon outside this forest," Gabumon reminded the Chosen Children. He blinked. "So, I thought Yamato would be safe with Taichi. If he's in danger, I will definitely sense it."

"Oh…" Sora said. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead and inhaling to calm herself down. "Alright. But we'll need to set off soon and we can't leave without Taichi and Yamato-kun."

"Let's go find them then," Agumon suggested, getting up from his position on the ground. "They shouldn't have gone far."

Gabumon made a sound of agreement and rose as well. Sora looked at the two digimon, then at her human companions, and nodded with a sigh to the missing boys' digimon.

"Alright then. Lead the way."

* * *

><p>"Look!" Agumon thrust a clawed hand in front of him when they were out of the forest.<p>

Gabumon's eyes widened. "It's Yamato and Taichi!"

"Taichi! Yamato-kun!" Sora called, but it seemed that they were too far away to hear her.

"What are they doing?" Sora asked in exasperation. She moved forward impatiently after Agumon and Gabumon.

"Wait!" Agumon said, indicating to the couple of bushes near Yamato and Taichi. "We can watch them from there."

"Why do we need to observe them?" Koushiro asked.

"Because they seem to be having a private moment!" Mimi said excitedly, and Sora started as the other girl grabbed her arm. "Let's go, Sora!"

"Mimi-chan…" Sora protested. Seeing that Mimi wasn't going to relent, she sighed and allowed herself to be dragged to the bushes.

"_I wonder what they're doing." _Sora thought as she and the other Chosen Children hid behind the bushes. Yamato was reaching his arm out, cheeks red. Sora blinked. Was Yamato blushing?

"Look, Gabumon!" She heard Agumon say as he gestured upwards.

Gabumon's mouth had fallen open, his red eye seeming to have grown wider, as he sweatdropped. "Y-Yamato?_!_"

Sora frowned in curiosity. She hesitated, before moving quietly forward, to the front row of bushes to get a better look. Sora peeked over the top of the bushes, blinking. Yamato's fingers were curled as he moved his hand closer to Taichi's, whose fingers were curled in the same way. Taichi was smiling widely and Yamato was looking down and- Sora was definitely sure he was blushing now, and she gasped, a hand over her mouth as she realized that Yamato and Taichi were forming a heart.

"W-What?_!_" Jyou exclaimed and Mimi slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Keep quiet!" She hissed. He blinked, then nodded and she removed her hand.

Sora's mouth was still wide open when Jyou moved to her side to get a closer view. His jaw dropped as he stared with wide eyes behind his spectacles. "T-They're!"

Sora saw Yamato frown, and she quickly shook herself out of her surprise and pushed Jyou's head down, covering his mouth with her hand as Yamato turned his gaze in their direction. She looked back nervously. Well, it seemed Koushiro had had the sense to make Mimi duck as well.

"Ow- Gabumon, your tail!" Koushiro said and Sora resisted the urge to laugh at the image.

"Sorry!"

"What's wrong?" Sora heard Taichi's voice.

"I thought I heard something…" Yamato said suspiciously. Sora resisted the urge to sigh in relief as he shifted his gaze away. "But I suppose it was just my imagination."

"Am I just seeing things or are Yamato-san and Taichi-san…?" Koushiro mouthed, gaping, once Yamato had turned his attention away from them.

"You're not imagining it!" Mimi hissed delightfully, her almond eyes sparkling, "They really are forming a heart! That's so sweet!"

"W-Why are they forming a heart?" Jyou stuttered, still unable to believe his eyes.

Sora didn't blame him. She herself had been shocked at the scene in front of her as well. "D-Do you think, t-they're together?" She whispered.

"Wh-mpf." Mimi turned a glare on Jyou, who slapped a hand over his own mouth, wincing a little in pain. Sora sweatdropped and looked to Koushiro, whose black eyes were wide in surprise.

"Is that it?" He asked curiously. "I…I always thought those two were unusually close, but…"

"Look!" Takeru interrupted excitedly, and Sora was reminded of his and Hikari's presence. He was pointing towards the heart Taichi and Yamato had formed. "It's like the heart is shining!"

"Shining with light!" Hikari agreed with equal excitement, clasping her hands together. She looked up happily at her big brother and Yamato.

"Look, Yamato!" Taichi said eagerly, as he smiled down at the heart his and Yamato's fingers had formed. "It looks like our heart is shining with light!"

Yamato blushed as he stared down at the heart filled with the blue of the sky and the green of the grass. The sunlight was shining through the heart, and it seemed indeed as if it was glowing with a light from the heavens.

Which was stupid, really, since this was the Digiworld and there was no heaven. Just data. Yet, despite himself, the warmth on Yamato's cheeks refused to go away and he hated the fact that he was indeed blushing, as much as he currently hated his decision to agree to Taichi's request for it was embarrassing to see Taichi looking so happy over something so simple.

"Ah, I wish I had a camera!" Taichi said, and Yamato winced.

Yamato twitched. "How long…" he said tersely as he stared down at their fingers which were barely apart, "Do we have to do this?"

"Until the sun goes down?" Yamato shot an incredulous glare at Taichi, who was looking at the bushes at the side. He turned back to grin at him. "I'm joking, Yama!"

"Taichi's seen us." Sora murmured to her companions from behind the bushes. She sighed, and looked to the side, "It's because of your hat, Mimi-chan! You shouldn't lean forward that much. "

"And Gabumon's horn." Agumon added helpfully, and Gabumon pouted.

"I can't help having a horn!" Gabumon said sadly as he lowered himself further to the ground. Everyone sweatdropped.

Agumon patted his back with a friendly hand. "There, there."

"Oops." Mimi smiled at Sora. She winked. "Well, I don't think Taichi will give us away. So it should be alright, right?" She grinned, unable to resist gushing and everyone stared as she whipped out a camera from her bag and shot a picture without flash, "They're so _cute_ together!"

Yamato really wished he could stop blushing. It was getting awfully warm. "Don't call me that-" The blond stopped at the short sound of something which sounded like a feminine squeal. He looked up, narrowing his eyes as the bushes rustled. "So it wasn't my imagination."

Taichi blinked as Yamato took his hand away, taking steps towards the bushes. "Yamato?"

"Yamato saw us!" Jyou panicked, "What should we do?_!_"

"Hide!" Sora commanded, and everyone crouched down as low as they could go. "Mimi-chan, your hat!"

Mimi pouted, and ended up laying on the ground. Gabumon was trying desperately to cover his horn, Sora was biting her lip, Jyou had his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from giving them away, Agumon and Koushiro had their eyes squeezed shut and Takeru and Hikari were smiling at each other as they laid down low.

"Hey…if worse comes to worst, what will we do?" Jyou whispered quietly.

Gabumon sniffed. "I don't want Yamato to be mad at me!"

"Well, we could pretend we just arrived." Koushiro suggested softly. "He might be less angry that way."

Mimi nodded. "That way, it wouldn't seem as if we were spying on them!"

"It's our best shot." Sora agreed.

"Distract him by making him embarrassed!" Takeru said cheerfully. "Onii-chan can't focus when he's embarrassed!"

"I think that's a good plan!" Hikari grinned.

"He's coming." Agumon hissed, and the Chosen Children ceased their conversation.

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><p>I really enjoyed writing this, so it'd be nice if you enjoyed reading it too. Please review :) If anyone wants to see the picture Mimi took, it's my profile pic, with the others added there just for laughs. =x<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to the people who showed interest in this story and reviewed the previous chapter :) Oh and I'm gonna post the pic on Deviantart, someday...when I create an account.

This was fun to write too, enjoy :) Lazy to copy and paste so see first chapter for what the Jap suffixes mean.

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><p>Now that he concentrated, he could definitely hear noises from behind those bushes. Narrowing his blue eyes, Yamato swept the bushes aside without mercy, exposing the Chosen Children, Gabumon and Agumon. He glared down at them, cheeks tinted with red, "W-What are you guys doing there<em>?<em>!"

Mimi removed herself from the ground, sitting up. She gave the blond a sly wink, "Watching you two of course!" The girl with the cowboy hat grinned, eyes shining, "Oh, I always knew you two were together!"

"W-What?_!_" Jyou exclaimed in disbelief, "You two are together!_?_"

Koushiro played up their 'act' by gaping, "T-That is shocking information indeed…"

"Yamato!" Gabumon stepped forward, his red eyes wide, "You and Taichi…?_!_"

Yamato blushed. "We're NOT together!" He yelled in embarrassment.

"But Onii-chan," Takeru said innocently. "Why were you forming a heart with Taichi-san then?"

"A heart represents love!" Hikari followed with brightly, turning her gaze to Taichi, "Right, Onii-san?"

"Uh…" Taichi said.

Agumon winked, giving him a thumbs up. "Go get him, Taichi!"

Taichi sweatdropped. "Agumon…"

Yamato wondered if he would ever stop blushing. "T-That's because…"

"Onii-chan," Takeru hid his sly smile, replacing it with a concerned look. "Your face is red!"

"T-Takeru…" Yamato said, reaching up a hand to feel his burning cheek. He grimaced. "_You don't have to tell me that."_

Realizing she was the only one who hadn't said anything, Sora stood up, looking accusingly at Taichi. "Taichi!"

Taichi- it was Taichi who was the cause of all this! Yamato turned to the brunette, who didn't look surprised at the others' presence. His eyes widened in realization and he glared at the holder of courage, "Taichi! You knew they were watching, didn't you?_!_"

Taichi gave him an innocent look which Yamato could not believe was real. "I didn't, Yama!" He smiled sheepishly, seemingly unaffected by Yamato's glare. "I just saw the bushes move!"

Which meant Taichi had been aware of the others' presence. Yamato twitched, fists clenching. "Really…"

"Really!" Taichi said, still smiling. Yamato advanced towards him menacingly and nervousness appeared on his features. "Hey Yamato, calm down! It's no big deal-whoa!" he yelped as he narrowly dodged Yamato's fist. "Hey, watch where you're swinging that!"

"GET BACK HERE, YAGAMI TAICHI!" Yamato bellowed furiously as he chased after the retreating brunette. "You coward!"

"Hey I'm the keeper of courage- I'm not a coward!" Taichi protested indignantly as he ran away from Yamato.

"If you're not a coward then stop-" Yamato growled as his fist missed Taichi again. "Running!"

Taichi sweatdropped. "If I do that, you'll beat me up!" He said as he glanced back. "I already have enough bruises from you!"

"Well," Koushiro said, breaking the silence amongst them. "I suppose we're safe now."

Sora nodded, smiling. "Because of Taichi, we won't have to deal with Yamato-kun's wrath."

Jyou sighed in relief, lifting a hand to his heart. "Thank god!"

Taichi blinked as Yamato just glared at him. He sighed. Oh well, he supposed he deserved the beating he was about to get. He grinned. It was so worth it though.

Yamato hadn't really expected Taichi to stop. When Taichi did indeed stop and turned to face him smiling like an idiot, the blond's eyes widened and he wasn't able to stop himself from colliding into the brown haired boy, sending them both tumbling to the ground with yelps of pain.

"Taichi!" Sora darted forward in worry with the Chosen Children and Yamato's and Taichi's digimon. "Yamato-kun!"

"Yamato!" Gabumon called out, "Are you alright-" he stopped short at the scene before him.

"Oh my god." Jyou said dazedly while Koushiro and Sora stared in shock as Agumon grinned widely and Takeru and Hikari high fived each other as Mimi fought to contain her glee.

"I knew this had to happen sometime!"

Meanwhile, Yamato was staring in shock at Taichi whom he had landed on top of and looked equally surprised. Somewhere in the chaos of his shocked, disbelieving, humiliated consciousness, he registered the fact that he had been unfortunate enough to land on Taichi in such a position that their lips were touching.

Their lips were touching. His lips were touching Taichi's. He was kissing Taichi. Kissing. Taichi. Yamato had had to process the surprising piece of information several times before it finally sank in to his muddled mind.

The blond gasped and quickly withdrew, blushing furiously as he stared down at Taichi. That had not just happened. That _did not_ happen! He did not just kiss Taichi in front of everyone!

Taichi looked up at Yamato. He raised a hand to his lips, looking as if he was in a dream. "That was my first kiss," he said dazedly, "I…just kissed Yamato."

"I need time to compute this information." Koushiro said weakly as he stared at the blushing Yamato and dazed looking Taichi.

"Me too." Jyou added.

"Me three." Sora said. Mimi was still struggling not to squeal from beside her.

"Oh, if only I had taken a picture!"

Sora sweatdropped. "Mimi-chan…"

…That had happened. He had kissed Taichi. In front of everyone. And it was his first kiss too. Well, _he_ needed time to compute this information!

His face had never felt so hot before. Yamato felt like sinking into the ground and hiding in the darkness where no one would find him. But the laws of physics didn't make that possible, even in the Digiworld, and he shot up, scrambled off Taichi and fled like the coward he had accused Taichi of being.

Or not. He wasn't being a coward. He just needed time to, well, compute this information. Yamato lifted a hand to his lips, flushing darkly. Stupid Taichi. Forcing him to form a heart with him and then _kissing_ him. Well, technically he was the one whom had kissed Taichi but it was Taichi's fault in the first place! Yamato screwed his eyes shut. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to look at Taichi in the same way again.

"Y-Yamato-Taichi-k-kiss." Gabumon stuttered, too shocked to chase after the retreating Yamato.

"Great job, Taichi!" Agumon said excitedly as he moved to his partner. He winked, "I didn't know you could be so sly!"

"W-What- I wasn't!" Taichi flushed, protesting as he raised himself from the ground. "It was an accident!"

Agumon blinked. "It was?" He asked in genuine surprise, "But, you were just standing there…"

"Was the heart forming an accident too, Taichi?" Sora asked wryly.

"Well, of course not- but it was mutual, I swear!" Taichi said defensively as the others stared at him. "I didn't force him or anything!"

Agumon tilted his head. "You…manipulated him then?"

"_Agumon!" _Taichi said indignantly.

"What?"

"Well, onii-chan," Hikari started with an encouraging smile, "If you and Yamato-san get together I will definitely support you!"

"Me too!" Takeru said, smiling, "My Onii-chan trusts you a lot, Taichi-san!"

Taichi's face turned pink, but he didn't deny it. Sora stared at him. "Taichi," she said slowly. "You like Yamato-kun that way?"

"Uh…" Taichi said. Seeing everyone looking at him expectantly, with Mimi's expression being an eager one, he sighed and said, "Y-Yeah…?"

"Really?"

"…Maybe." Taichi mumbled.

Sora glared. "Taichi."

"Yeah! Yeah, I do like _like_ Yamato!" Taichi confessed quickly, flushing, "Even if it may be wrong!"

Sora sighed as Mimi released the squeal she had been holding in beside her. "It's not wrong Taichi, love is love," the holder of the crest of love said knowingly, as she eyed her childhood friend. She sighed in exasperation. "So, you were trying to win his heart?"

Taichi just nodded, and Sora glowered at him, placing her hands on her hips, "Taichi, that's no way to win Yamato-kun's heart!" She reprimanded, frowning, "I'm surprised you even convinced Yamato-kun to do that with you!"

"W-Well, you guys ruined my plan!" Taichi retorted, pouting. "I was _supposed _to tell him I liked him while we were forming the heart! But 'cause of you guys," he pointed accusingly at the Digidestined, "I didn't _get_ the chance!"

"Really," Sora said disbelievingly, her mouth twitching as Mimi giggled, "That's the best you could come up with?"

"Eh, I can't exactly give him flowers can I?" Taichi countered at Sora's skepticism, "There are no flowers here anyway."

Takeru and Hikari giggled, and Sora looked at Taichi with a deadpan expression. "Confessing your feelings to Yamato would be a good first step." She said dryly. "Without going about it in a roundabout manner."

Taichi frowned. "Oh yeah, that'd be so easy," he reached out and grabbed Sora's hands, drawing out, "Oh Yamato, I just realized I like you more than a friend. Even if you hate me. So will you go out with me?"

Sora grimaced and took her hands away. "If I were Yamato, I wouldn't even consider," she said bluntly, "I'd think you were joking."

"That's exactly the problem!" Taichi groaned. "If I confess my feelings he'll either laugh at me and say I must be joking or get angry and punch me!"

"But you were planning to confess just now." Takeru pointed out, blinking.

Taichi flushed, "That's...different!" He said. He sighed and looked away, "I had the courage just now, the moment was perfect!" He exclaimed, turning his gaze back to his blinking friends, "But now, I've lost my nerve! And since we...kissed," Taichi bit his lip, cheeks pink. "Yamato's gonna avoid me and we'll be back to square one!" He moaned.

The Chosen Children and the digimon exchanged looks amongst themselves before they turned to their distraught leader, various expressions on their faces.

"Well Taichi-san, you have to be sincere!" Mimi stated, frowning for the first time in a while. "You have to show Yamato-kun you really like him!"

"Even if Yamato-san doesn't like you back," Koushiro said knowledgeably, "He'll at least know of your feelings for him. You won't be hiding anything from him anymore."

"Trust is important, Taichi." Jyou joined in. He nodded. "You're not being honest towards your feelings for Yamato by hiding them."

"You've got to have hope, Taichi-san!" Takeru told him, smiling brightly, "Never give up!"

"Darkness can't exist without light." Hikari smiled up at him. "No matter how hopeless you think it is, you'll always still have a chance."

"You're the bearer of courage, Taichi!" Agumon reminded him, grinning toothily. "Yamato isn't even an enemy! You have no reason to be scared!"

"Yamato treasures your friendship," Gabumon said honestly. "He won't hate you if he doesn't return your feelings."

Sora grinned. "So what are you waiting for!_?_" She gave the surprised Taichi a gentle shove, "Go and tell Yamato you love him!"

Taichi stared at his friends. "Really?" He asked hesitantly. "Are you guys sure?"

"Why wouldn't we be sure, Taichi-san?" Koushiro asked, and there was genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah. Although this is, um...surprising," Jyou cleared his throat, then looked up to smile at Taichi, "I don't really see anything wrong with it. I mean, there's nothing wrong with liking someone..." he flushed slightly.

"Oh?" Mimi smiled slyly as she turned to gaze at Jyou, "Do you like someone, Jyou-san?"

Jyou blushed, stuttering, "N-No!" He shook his head furiously, "Definitely not!"

"Really?" Mimi said innocently as she leaned closer to Jyou.

"Yes really!"

Mimi seemed to ignore him, her smile widening, "Could it be...you like me?"

"Yeah- I mean, NO!" Jyou looked horrified when he realized what he had just said. "Forget what I said!"

Mimi pouted at him, almond eyes sad, "I'm hurt, Jyou-san..." she said, looking up at him, "Am I not pretty enough for you?"

"Eh? You're really pretty, Mimi-wait, no!" Jyou seemed to be panicking, his eyes wide as he backed away from Mimi. Everyone stared at him and he twitched, "Weren't we talking about Taichi and Yamato-kun?_!_"

Mimi grinned and latched on to Jyou's arm, "Awww. Relax, Jyou-san!" She reassured with a smile, "I was just teasing you!"

"But of course, if you like me..." the girl in the cowboy hat gave the bespectacled boy a wink, "I wouldn't be surprised."

"M-Mimi-chan..."

Mimi smiled widely at the blushing Jyou, released his arm and skipped away, turning her attention back to Taichi, who had looked relieved when the attention left him. "Soooo Taichi-san, when are you gonna confess to Yamato-kun?"

Taichi blinked. "Do I have to?" He said nervously.

"Of course, Onii-chan!" Hikari looked affronted as she stared up at her brother. "You have to tell Yamato-san you like him!"

"If you don't confess, I'll tell Onii-chan myself!" Takeru frowned.

Taich winced as Koushiro sighed, "Taichi-san," he said placatingly, "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"That's right, Taichi!" Sora was frowning at him, her hands on her hips, "After all we've said, you still don't want to tell Yamato-kun your feeilngs for him?" She huffed. "I'm disappointed in you, Taichi! I thought you would be more courageous!"

Taichi stared at Sora, who met his gaze, then moved his gaze to the others. Jyou's face was still pink but he gave Taichi a nod, Mimi's eyes were shining brightly and she was smiling, Koushiro was giving him a slightly hesitant but encouraging smile, Takeru was looking up at him hopefully, and Hikari was smiling at him, the light of trust shining in her eyes. He then turned to Gabumon, who looked him in the eye with a nod, and then his own partner Digimon, who gave him a wide grin.

"Do it, Taichi!" Agumon winked.

Taichi stared, then smiled at his friends' support. Maybe there really was nothing to be afraid of, after all.

Sighing, the leader turned and nodded to his group, his usual grin back on his face.

"Right. Thanks, everyone!"

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><p>Well hope you enjoyed that. Please review.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

I really like this chapter :) I hope you like it too. Please review :)

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><p>"I like you, Yamato."<p>

Sora nodded to Taichi. "Say it."

"I…like you, Yamato."

Sora glowered at him, exasperation on her features. "Taichi!"

Taichi grimaced. "What? I can't just say it now!" He exclaimed, shaking his head furiously as he buried his hands in his hair. "This is too nerve wracking for me!"

"If you can't say it to me how are you gonna say it to Yamato?_!_" Sora demanded, twitching.

"It's impossible, Sora!" Taichi whined, "I can't do it!"

"Don't be a coward, Taichi!" Sora frowned. "It's simple, really!"

Taichi stared at her as she turned and faced Mimi. "All you have to do is go up to Yamato and tell him you like him!" Sora placed her hands on Mimi's shoulders, lowering her voice as she spoke, imitating Taichi, "I like you, Yamato. Will you go out with me?"

Mimi grinned, "Oh Taichi, I thought you'd never ask!" She said happily, "Of course I'll be your girl- I mean, boyfriend!"

Sora grinned and turned to face Taichi smugly as she removed her hands from Mimi's shoulders. "See?" She gave Taichi a thumbs up, "Easy!"

Taichi winced. "Yamato doesn't act like that!" He shouted accusingly.

Mimi blinked, tilting her head, "Well, would he stutter and blush then?"

"No, he'd tell me to stop joking and punch me!"

Sora sighed. "The point is, Taichi, you have to tell Yamato you like him!" She jabbed a finger at the frazzled brunette. "You can't hide your feelings for him forever!"

"That's right, Taichi!" Agumon said, nodding.

"Sora-kun is right," Jyou said agreeably. "But maybe we should let Taichi do this on his own?"

"That would be best," Koushiro said contemplatively. "Taichi-san is the one confessing after all. He should know how to deal with it."

Sora pouted. She released a sigh, regarding Taichi sternly. "Fine. But, Taichi, if you don't confess to Yamato by the end of today, I'll…" she thought for a while, then smiled and said, "I'll take your soccer ball away from you when we get back to our world!"

Taichi gasped. "You wouldn't!" He said as he thought of Sora stealing away his precious soccer ball back home.

Sora smirked. "Oh I would," she said almost tauntingly. "Or maybe I won't play soccer with you for a month." She seemed to muse. "Or two months, maybe?"

"But Sora, you love soccer!" Taichi protested, grimacing as he thought of the possibility of not being able to play soccer with one of his best soccer mates, "Don't be cruel!"

Sora smiled slyly. "And you love Yamato. So…" she drawled. "Are you going to stop being a coward now?"

Taichi scowled as he realized his childhood friend was practically blackmailing him And taunting him. He knew he should never have let her known of his feelings for Yamato. "Fine!" He said, stomping off with a huff. "I'll show you I'm not a coward, Sora! I'll go tell Yamato right now!"

Sora smirked as Taichi broke into a sprint. "Good luck!" She called cheerfully after the retreating Taichi.

"If you can't confess, you can just kiss him!" Mimi yelled over, grinning as she winked, "Actions speak louder than words, Taichi!-san!"

Taichi shot a glower at the two girls over his shoulder as he dashed off towards the forest. Sora and Mimi grinned as they turned to the boys, who were staring at them in surprise.

"I didn't know you could be so…" Koushiro searched for a suitable word, "…Cunning, Sora-san."

"Well, I kind of suspected Taichi liked Yamato for a while," Sora admitted with a sheepish smile. She shrugged. "Taichi can be really stubborn. I have to force him or after today, he'd never tell Yamato!" She bit her lip, her smile faltering a little, "And...if Taichi never tells Yamato he likes him, he wouldn't ever be truly happy."

"I guess," Koushiro said, looking at her. "But Taichi-san seems to really like Yamato-san. He wouldn't want to risk their friendship by confessing."

"But if he never confesses, then what's the point?" Mimi asked.

"That's true." Jyou agreed.

Mimi beamed. "Hey, should we go and spy on them?_!_" She said excitedly, "Oh, this is so much more exciting than all those digi battles!"

The Chosen Children sweatdropped. "I don't think we should do that," it was Takeru who spoke. He stared up at his older companions. "Onii-chan would be really mad if he caught us a second time."

"And Onii-san would be even more nervous!" Hikari added. She nodded. "We should leave them alone."

"Right." Sora said. She turned and smiled at the group, making a mental note to blackmail Taichi for all the details later. She slid a hand into her pocket, brushing the sweat away from her forehead.

"Well, let's hang out here while Taichi makes his confession."

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><p>Where was Yamato?<p>

Taichi frowned worriedly as he ventured into the forest, reaching the spot where they had set up camp. The digimon were awake, and he made his way to where Piyomon was munching on some fruit. "Hey guys, did you see Yamato?"

Piyomon blinked at him. She pointed to the left, "I saw him running past. We called out to him but he didn't seem to hear us." She said, tilting her head to the side. "Where's Sora?"

"And Koushiro-han?" Tentomon added anxiously, "He's alright, isn't he?"

"Did Jyou get lost?" Gomamon questioned curiously.

"Is Mimi okay?" Palmon said worriedly. "I can't find her anywhere."

"Yeah, Sora and Koushiro are alright, they're outside the forest," Taichi gestured, "Jyou and Mimi are with them."

Tailmon blinked open her eyes. "I fell asleep," she said. She jumped down from the tree, landing in front of a startled Taichi. Her voice was as sharp as her roaming gaze. "Where's Hikari?"

"Takeru!" Patamon called, looking anxiously around, "Where are you?_!_"

Taichi smiled reassuringly at the worried digimon. "Don't worry! They're all outside the forest." He said. "There're no digimon outside there so they're safe."

"Oh." Piyomon said. She smiled in relief. "Sora should be fine then!"

"Eh? Where are Agumon and Gabumon?" Tentomon asked suddenly as he scanned the area, "They're not here."

"Everyone's outside there." Taichi said, as he searched the forest for Yamato. "They should be coming back soon."

Tailmon frowned. "I must be by Hikari's side." She said, and dashed off to find her partner.

"I should make sure Takeru's alright!" Patamon flew after Tailmon, "Wait for me, Tailmon!"

Taichi blinked. He smiled, feeling glad that his little sister had such a reliable partner. He turned his gaze back to the rest of the digimon. "You guys have to stay, or they wouldn't know where to return to." He told them logically. The brunette turned his head. "I'm going to find Yamato."

Gomamon cocked his head. "Why are you searching for Yamato?" He asked.

Taichi blinked. He turned away, flushing slightly, "I have…to tell him something important."

"You better hurry," Piyomon cautioned. "There may be bad digimon in this forest!"

"Yeah!" Tentomon agreed, nodding, "Yamato-kun doesn't have Gabumon with him!"

Taichi grimaced. He ran off in search of the missing blond, "Right!" He waved to the digimon as he ran deeper into the forest, before keeping his worried gaze forward.

"_Yamato, where are you?"_

* * *

><p>"Yamato!" Taichi inhaled, raising the volume of his yell, "YAMATO!"<p>

The brunette's heart sank when there was neither sight nor sound of the blond. He cursed himself inwardly. What if Yamato was in danger? What if he had met with an evil digimon? He didn't have Gabumon to protect him!

"Yamato…" Taichi murmured. He bit his lip, and went deeper into the forest. _"I'm such an idiot! If Yamato gets hurt it'll be my fault-"_

His anxious thoughts were interrupted by a soft sound. Taichi blinked. He paused to listen more closely. The sound was familiar- a smooth, soothing melody-

"Yamato!" Taichi smiled in relief when he realized the sound came from Yamato's harmonica. Renergized, he followed the sound of the harmonica, and soon found the blond he was searching for sitting cross-legged on the floor of the forest, his harmonica to his lips.

The brunette grinned, springing forward, "Yamato!"

Yamato looked up, startled. His blue eyes widened and he jumped up as if he had been bitten, cutting off the melody of the harmonica abruptly. "T-Taichi."

"Yamato! I was looking for you…" Taichi trailed off as Yamato looked at him, turned then ran. "H-Hey! Where are you going?_!_"

"Wait!" Taichi gritted his teeth as Yamato ran away from him. He moved to chase after the blond, "I said wait, Yamato!"

"Leave me alone!"

"No!" Taichi yelled stubbornly and he increased his pace. "I have something important to tell you!"

He felt frustration rise in him as Yamato only ran faster, "You can't run away from me, Yamato!" Taichi shouted to Yamato, as they moved swiftly through the forest. He dodged some vines blocking his way, "I play soccer! I'm used to running fast!"

"_And I'll lose my soccer ball if I don't catch him!" _Incensed by the thought, Taichi spurred his legs to move faster. _"But more importantly, if I don't tell him today, I won't have the courage to tell him another time!"_

"So what? I'm in track!" Yamato yelled back.

Taichi blinked. "You are?" He called over.

"Yeah!"

The brunette grinned. "Well, we should have a race sometime then!" He smirked as he neared Yamato, "But right now, I'm catching up to you!"

"In your dreams!" Yamato countered. He sprinted faster as he glanced back at Taichi, unaware of the obstacle in front of him.

"Yamato!" Taichi's eyes widened as he saw the low, sharp branch Yamato was about to collide into, "Look out!"

When Yamato turned his gaze back the front, the sharp branch was inches away from his forehead. His blue eyes grew wide, and moments before his forehead was about to hit the dangerous branch, he felt a hand wrap itself around his waist as he was crushed against another's body, which collapsed onto him, shielding him.

"Oww…damn…" Taichi muttered as he held a hand to his injured forehead. "I thought forests had no short trees!"

"Taichi!" Yamato said in panic as he looked at the boy on top of him. "Are you alright?_!_"

"Yeah, it just scraped me," Taichi grinned reassuringly at the worried blond as he wiped the blood away from his forehead. "You're alright, aren't you, Yamato?"

Yamato stared. "Y-Yeah."

"That's great!" Taichi smiled. Then he remembered what he had chased Yamato for, and felt his nerves start up. "Uh, Yamato…I have something important to tell you."

Yamato found his cheeks warm at the close proximity of their faces. "What…?"

"I…I…" Taichi stuttered. Sora was right- he couldn't even say it to her, there was no way he could say it to Yamato!

The holder of courage felt sorely tempted to brush the matter off, but he remembered the words of knowledge from Koushiro. _"Even if Yamato-san doesn't like you back, he'll at least know of your feelings for him. You won't be hiding anything from him anymore."_

"Taichi…?"

"_Darkness can't exist without light." Hikari, smiling up at him, wisdom that was beyond her young age in her eyes. "No matter how hopeless you think it is, you'll always still have a chance."_

"_You've got to have hope, Taichi-san!" Takeru standing beside her, giving him a bright and encouraging smile, "Never give up!"_

Hope- he had to have it, didn't he? He had to at least have the hope that somehow, for some reason or another, Yamato would return his feelings, or at least not hate him for them.

"_Yamato treasures your friendship," Gabumon's honest voice resounded in his mind. "He won't hate you if he doesn't return your feelings."_

Gabumon had said Yamato wouldn't hate him. And if there was anyone who knew Yamato better than him, it was Yamato's trusted, loyal partner.

"Taichi…" Yamato looked uncomfortable, "What is it that you want to say?"

"_You're the bearer of courage, Taichi!" Agumon, his own digimon partner's image appeared in his mind, a wide, reassuring grin on his face, "Yamato isn't even an enemy! You have no reason to be scared!"_

Yamato was waiting for him- to say what he wanted, no, needed to say. Gathering up his courage, Taichi inhaled, looked at Yamato squarely in the eyes, and said with as stable a voice as he could manage. "I like you."

Yamato was staring at him, as if believing he had heard Taichi wrongly. Or perhaps he wasn't being clear enough. Taichi took in a deep breath, releasing it quickly, "Sorry."

Before he lost his courage, Taichi found himself taking Mimi's advice. He placed a hand on Yamato's cheek and leaned down to kiss him gently. He heard Yamato release a soft sound of surprise and shock and resisted the urge to spring away out of fear. He was the holder of Courage, not a coward.

The kiss lasted shorter than Taichi would have liked, but Taichi stayed long enough to be sure Yamato was aware of his feelings for him before he withdrew, staring down at the frozen blond. "That wasn't an accident," he said, as he met Yamato's deep blue eyes. "Not like before."

"_Well Taichi-san, you have to be sincere!" Mimi's exasperated voice sounded in his head. "You have to show Yamato-kun you really like him!"_

"_Trust is important, Taichi." Jyou looking at him with a serious expression, nodding his head. "You're not being honest towards your feelings for Yamato by hiding them."_

Nodding inwardly, Taichi smiled, never removing his gaze from Yamato's wide blue eyes, "I like you, Yamato." He repeated clearly. "I really, really like you."

"Like…" Yamato said, hesitance in his blue eyes. "As in…more than a friend?"

It was then that Taichi remembered his childhood friend's words, "_And you love Yamato. So…" there was a teasing tone to Sora's voice, but she was looking at Taichi in the way she looked at him during pinches in their digibattles, trusting him and believing in him. "Are you going to stop being a coward now?"_

This wasn't about proving Sora wrong- proving to her that he wasn't a coward. It was more than that- he wasn't telling Yamato to prove his point to Sora, so that he could keep his soccer ball, so that Sora would continue playing soccer with him. Taichi swallowed. No, this was about his true, sincere feelings towards Yamato. It was what Sora had been trying to get him to realize.

"Actually…I don't just like you," Taichi said lowly, his hand still on Yamato's cheek. He breathed in deeply, and with the courage everyone had given him with their support, said the words in his passionate heart which he wanted-needed to say.

"Yamato, I love you."


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow, it's been more than 2 weeks since I updated this story. Thanks to everyone who read it, and of course those who reviewed. Well, this should be the second last chapter so enjoy :)_

Update: Sorry, I just realized I forgot to take away the Romaji in italics at the later part. Er I wrote it down 'cause it helps me imagine the scene better and the characters' speaking and all. So, yeah...I've removed it now. If you didn't see it- well, ignore this note.

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><p>"T-Taichi…"<p>

Yamato looked so confused and lost at his confession that Taichi suddenly wished he could take it all back. But he found himself doing the opposite, "I'm sorry for putting you in such an embarrassing situation," he said quickly. His gaze turned guilty, "It's just…I was being a coward and I didn't want to tell you my feelings. But trying to ignore them didn't work, so I thought I would feel better if I got you to form a heart because I was hoping I would finally get the chance to confess to you…" he babbled, then shut up as Yamato was still staring at him.

"Sorry, I'm such a selfish idiot…" Taichi mumbled. He slid his hand away from Yamato's cheek, moving to get off the blond. "I just…had to tell you."

Taichi felt his heart sink even further as Yamato remained silent. He inhaled, then spoke, "If…it makes you feel bad, you can just ignore my feelings," he managed, "We can pretend this never happened."

"_Even if I don't want that," _the brunette thought miserably. He glanced back at Yamato. _"But, if it will make him feel better…"_

"How do you know you…love me?" Yamato finally spoke as he raised his gaze towards Taichi.

"I just…know." Taichi said. Realizing it wasn't a satisfactory answer, he plunged on, "Because, in all our battles, you're the one I worry about the most. Because I've realized I care about you more than a best friend, more than I care about Sora. Despite all our arguments, I could never hate you," Taichi inhaled for some air before continuing, "Because I would protect you, even if it costs me my life," he swallowed as he remembered how him and Yamato had been on the verge of death when he had been clinging on to a single branch from the snowy cliff, his other hand clutching on tightly to Yamato. "If you ever left me, I don't know what I'd do. Even if you don't return my feelings, I'll still love you. If I had never told you I loved you, I still would have," Taichi said as he looked into Yamato's blue eyes, "It's not a feeling I can get rid of. I just…" he clenched his fist. "Love you, Yamato."

"I…" Yamato started hesitantly. He seemed to swallow, avoiding Taichi's gaze, "I don't know love."

"I didn't either." Taichi said softly.

Yamato shook his head. "I don't know love- I don't want to know love," he said forlornly, and Taichi felt his heart break a little, "I can't even accept friendship, how can I accept love?"

"I've never had friends before I met you guys, and I've never felt love," Yamato was saying, his voice choked. He rested his chin on his knees, staring down at the ground. "I've never wanted to fall in love. Having friends…is more than enough."

"Why?" Taichi asked quietly "Love…isn't a bad thing."

"Because I don't want to get hurt," Yamato confessed. He buried his face in his knees, releasing the tears in his eyes. "I don't want to be alone…but I don't want to be hurt again."

"Yamato…" this was a side of Yamato he had never seen. Yamato had never revealed so much to him before. But Taichi could feel his love for Yamato grow as he wrapped an arm around the trembling blond's shoulders, "It's okay. I'll take care of you."

"I'm not a person you should love, Taichi," Yamato whispered, voice thick with repressed emotion, "I'll only hurt you in the end. You should just…leave me alone."

"I can't, I love you too much," Taichi smiled wryly at how suddenly easy it was to say he loved Yamato. He ran his fingers through the blond's spiky, soft hair, murmuring, "I'll rather be hurt than not have you by my side, Yamato. I'm used to that."

"Taichi…" Yamato said, and there was a hint of dry, sardonic laughter in his choked voice. "You really are an idiot."

Taichi grinned. "Yeah well," he said as he pulled Yamato closer to him. "It's just part of my charm."

"Idiot." Yamato said half-heartedly, and Taichi smiled.

"Only for you, Yamato." He said cheesily and Yamato couldn't help but smile.

"Whatever, Taichi."

Taichi just smiled. They descended into a peaceful silence and he relished in the feeling of holding Yamato close to him, giving him time to get over himself emotionally.

"Taichi."

Taichi smiled as he stroked Yamato's soft hair. "Yeah, Yamato?"

The blond lifted his face from his knees, his clear, blue eyes slightly red, "I need time," he said slowly. He flushed slightly, "I…like you too, Taichi, but…I need time to decide if I want our relationship to change."

Yamato liked him. Yamato liked him back! Taichi grinned widely, resisting the urge to hug Yamato and further embarrass the already embarrassed blond. "Sure!" He declared optimistically, "We're still young, we have all the time in the world!"

Yamato looked like he was restraining himself from calling Taichi an idiot, but it was just another part of him that Taichi loved. He huffed, crossing his arms. "Don't get disappointed in the end." He said. "Can you stop touching my hair now?"

Taichi blinked, and reluctantly brought his hand away from Yamato's unexpectedly soft, fluffy hair. Well, it was another thing to love about Yamato. "I won't!" He reassured the blond, "I'll be happy as long as I have you by my side!"

"Stop saying such embarrassing things," Yamato said, face red as he got up from the ground. "Why are you always so optimistic?" He muttered.

"Well, why not?" Taichi asked, as he rose to his feet as well. He was still smiling as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Even if I've never fallen in love before you, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it!" Yamato stared at him and his face split into a grin, "Hey, we didn't know how to fight all those digibattles either when we first came to this world, did we?" He winked, "Love's just a new, exciting adventure for me to explore!"

"You think everything is an adventure," Yamato said dryly, and turned away so Taichi couldn't see his blush. He sighed, beginning to walk back. "Come on…let's head back."

Taichi grinned and looped an arm around Yamato's shoulders as they walked back together, _"If I'm with you~"_ he sang cheerfully, _"I'm sure we'll be all right!"_

"What are you singing." Yamato deadpanned.

"My feelings for you!" Taichi replied with a wide grin, "_Let's start from here Yamato~even if I have to do it 100 times, I'll get it right_!"

"Your off-key singing is killing my ears," Yamato grimaced, "And what makes you think I'll let you make 100 mistakes?"

"Because you love me!" Taichi proclaimed with a bright smile, "You should sing about your feelings too, Yamato!"

"I don't love you, I just like you!" Yamato countered, glaring at Taichi. "And if I have to sing about my _feelings _for you, it'll be something like this!"

The blond inhaled, then started to sing in a smooth voice as he stared at Taichi, _"Well, if you want to, I can't stop you,"_ he added sarcasm into the stacatto tune, _"Just cause you're passionate about it, doesn't make it right."_

Taichi blinked at the familiar tune, then beamed at him, "Yamato!" He exclaimed happily, "You never told me you're such a good singer! Where did you get the tune from?"

Yamato twitched as he realized Taichi hadn't been listening to his words at all, "I composed it on my harmonica," he said dryly. "It would be wasted on a song about you."

Taichi just smiled. "Well, I would be able to die happy if you sang a song about me!"

Yamato felt his other eyebrow twitching, "You've used that excuse already!" He shouted, scowling, "Didn't you say you would be able to die happy if I formed a heart with you?"

Taichi blinked. "Oh yeah." He said. "I would be able to die happier then?"

Yamato had to seriously resist the urge to facepalm. Why did he have to fall for such an idiot?

"You know what the last line of such a song would be?"

"What?" Taichi asked curiously. "Is it about me?"

"_I'm all right on my own." _Yamato said to Taichi. He seemed to be contemplating a little, before he said, "I'll even…_walk on the edge_."

Taichi stared at him for a while, and Yamato thought he had finally gotten his point, when he said, "Well Yamato, if you fall off the edge I'll be there to catch you!" He smiled, brown eyes filled with something Yamato felt he should recognize. "I did catch you when we fell off that cliff, remember?"

Yamato twitched. Why did Taichi have to…twist everything he said to his advantage? But Taichi was smiling sincerely at him and he felt his heart beat faster. He swallowed, averting his gaze. Perhaps liking Taichi wasn't so bad after all, since Taichi did like him back…

"You could have died back then." He found himself saying to break the silence that had descended between them. "Because you were holding onto me- if that branch had broken before Yukidarumon was there-" he inhaled shakily, not even wanting to think of the prospect, "If you hadn't been holding on to me, if you had just let go, you would have been able to climb up by yourself."

"And lose you?" Taichi's voice had turned serious, low in frustration. He reached out to grab Yamato's arm tightly. "Didn't I tell you, Yamato? Even if we ended up dying, I wouldn't let go! If I lost you, I'd lose my reason for living!"

"Don't say that!" Yamato exclaimed, as he whirled around, blinking back the tears in his eyes, "I'm not all you have! You have so many people who care about you, you don't need me!"

Taichi stared at him. "Is that it, Yamato?" He asked softly. "Is that why you're so insecure about our relationship?"

"I'm not insecure!" Yamato denied wildly, "And we _don't _have a relationship!"

"…Hey, that hurt, you know," Taichi said, his voice low as he stared at Yamato.

Yamato flinched as if he was the one who had been hurt. And maybe he was, for his heart hurt, and he didn't know why.

"Weren't you listening to me? I told you I'd only hurt you!" The blond spat, turning quickly away as he scowled. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?_!_"

"I may be an idiot," Taichi said as he stared at Yamato's back. "But I refuse to believe my love for you is stupid." He spoke in an unusually solemn voice, feeling tears prick his eyes. "It isn't, even if you think it is."

Yamato remained silent, and Taichi didn't hesitate in wrapping his arms around him from behind. "I love you, Yamato." He whispered into the blond's ear. "If you want me to say it everyday, I will. Even if you don't return my feelings, I want to let you know that there's someone who cares about you in this world." He exhaled. "You're no longer alone, Yamato. I'm here for you."

It was always like this with Taichi. One minute they could be joking, and the next they would be arguing, and suddenly Taichi would be looking at him with that sympathy, care and concern in his eyes. It made his head spin and his heart pound, and he didn't know what this feeling was.

Now they had progressed to another stage. They had reached the stage- or at least Taichi had reached the stage where he felt it was right and alright to comfort him physically with intimate actions and emotionally with sincere words, and Yamato wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Part of Yamato wanted to turn around and release all his insecurities to Taichi, to someone who would hold him and comfort him. But he had his pride to keep, and Yamato gathered the painful shards, piecing his shattered pride back together as he tried not to think of the way Taichi believed his love for him was a certainty in their every changing world and not just a notion or feeling.

He felt Taichi remove his arms from him, and tried to brush away the suddenly empty feeling in his heart. Taichi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and the simple action filled up the emptiness in Yamato's heart a little.

"Let's go back, okay? Everyone's waiting."

"Yeah." Yamato said softly.

They started forward, the silence between them more awkward than the last. Yamato bit his lip, and forced himself to put his pride aside to say the words he needed to say. "I'm sorry," the blond admitted, his voice quiet. "I am grateful to you for saving my life."

"I understand," Taichi's voice was reassuring, accepting. Taichi was always accepting of him. "Thank you, Yamato. That's enough for me."

Taichi spoke in a way that Yamato didn't have to look at him to know what he was feeling. It was one of the things he had noticed about Taichi. He didn't only wear his heart on his sleeve, he filled his voice with his feelings as well.

Yamato knew he didn't deserve Taichi- as a friend or a lover. He definitely didn't deserve Taichi's love for him, when he couldn't even tell Taichi he returned his feelings. But he couldn't resist leaning a little towards the brunette, and as Taichi removed his hand from his shoulder and wrapped it around him instead, he felt content for the first time in his life; as if he could just relax and live in the moment instead of looking back to the past or thinking of the dreadful future.

Taichi had that effect on people. His optimism and passion in life, even as subtle as it was now, was contagious. Yamato smiled slightly to himself at Taichi's wordless gesture of encouragement and trust in him.

Perhaps being understood wasn't so bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, this is the final, specially long chapter of this inpromptu fanfic, so enjoy. I hope it's worth the wait._

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><p>"Ah…where are they?<em>!<em>"

"Calm down Mimi," Jyou sweatdropped, "I-I'm sure they're coming back soon!"

"Do you think they got lost?" Hikari asked worriedly.

"I don't think so." Tailmon said. She looked up, "Do you want me to find them, Hikari?"

"I can go too, Sora!" Piyomon offered. "I definitely won't get lost!"

"It's alright, Piyomon." Sora said with a smile. She looked into the distance, "They'll return soon- I hope."

Hikari shook her head, "It's okay, Tailmon." She said softly.

Tailmon hesitated, then nodded."If you say so, Hikari."

"Hey Gabumon," Agumon said as he watched Jyou, Palmon and Gomamon try to calm the panicking Mimi, "Why are Taichi and Yamato not back yet?"

"Uh." Gabumon said, "Maybe they got distracted?"

"Distracted? What, by a wild digimon?_!_" Agumon said, starting to panic as well. He turned to Gabumon, "Should we go find them then_!_?"

"Well-"

"Hey!" Agumon and Gabumon blinked at the sound of the familiar, loud voice, "Everyone!"

"Taichi!" Agumon rushed forward towards his partner, "Where were you?_!_"

Taichi grinned at him. He had a hand on Yamato's shoulder, who was standing beside him, "Oh you know, just on an adventure!" He laughed, grinning sheepishly, one brown eye closed, "Though I did get a little hurt…"

"Where were you, Taichi-san?" Koushiro questioned worriedly. "What happened?"

"What happened?_!_" Sora demanded, "Taichi, your forehead…"

"A stupid, low branch got me." Taichi grumbled. "Damn tree."

"Taichi-san!" Mimi had noticed him and she placed her hands on her hips, frowning, "Where were you?_!_"

Taichi blinked. "With Yamato?"

Mimi glowered at him and he winced, "What?"

"What took you so long?_!_ We were all worried about you!"

"That's right, Taichi!" Agumon said, frowning, "We thought you guys were attacked by evil digimon!"

"Oh." Taichi scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry?"

Tailmon shot a glare at him, "You really worried Hikari." She said menacingly.

Taichi winced. He held his hands up, "Sorry!" He turned to Hikari with an apologetic look, "Sorry if I worried you, Hikari!"

"No, it's fine." Hikari smiled at him, relief in her eyes. "You're okay, right?"

"Of course!"

"Then that's alright." Hikari's smile widened as relief shone in her eyes, "I'm glad you're alright, Onii-chan."

"Hikari…"

"Well," Jyou cleared his throat. Everyone turned to look at him and he said, "We should get that cut treated in case it gets infected." He said.

"What? Ah, it's no big deal-"

"I insist, Taichi." Jyou said. He sighed, and moved to where his bag was, "Please come here and let me treat your wound."

Taichi pouted. "Do I have to?" He rubbed his forehead, "It's not even bleeding anymore!"

"Of course!" Sora glared at him disbelievingly. She pushed Taichi, causing him to yelp, "Hurry up, Taichi!"

"The sooner you get that treated, the sooner we can move out of this forest." Koushiro said.

Taichi sighed. He looked around at his worried friends, then shrugged and made his way to Jyou, who was looking at him with an expectant expression.

"Fine…"

* * *

><p>"Ow ow ow!"<p>

"Hold still!" Jyou said and Taichi winced. He bit his lip as Jyou cleaned his wound.

"There. Done!" Jyou clapped his hands, smiling in satisfaction at his handiwork. He held out a hand as Taichi made to move. "Wait! Don't move yet."

Taichi pouted at him, but Jyou had turned around, digging in his First Aid Kit. When he turned back around, he was holding a bandage.

"Is this really necessary?" Taichi grumbled.

"Of course!" Jyou insisted. He leaned forward with the bandage, "Now, don't move…"

Taichi sighed. "Right, right…"

Jyou smiled as he covered the wound on Taichi's forehead with the bandage. He then drew back after pressing it firmly down. "All done!"

"Finally!" Taichi said. He stood up, smiling at the rest of the Chosen Children. "Thanks Jyou. So, can we go now?"

"We should." Koushiro agreed with a nod.

"Great! Everyone, it's time to go!" Taichi grinned, sweeping his hand, "Hurry up and pack!"

"We already have." Sora told him dryly, but she was smiling.

"Oh. Well, that's good!" Taichi said as he advanced forward, Jyou following him. Agumon made his way to his side and the brunet leader grinned energetically at his partner. "Right! Let's go!"

"Yamato?" Gabumon asked as his partner stood still, looking at Taichi.

"Hmm?"

"Why aren't you following them?"

Yamato merely shrugged, keeping his gaze on Taichi.

"Yamato?" Taichi had turned and looked at him with concern in his eyes, "Aren't you coming?"

The blond bit his lip. He looked away. "I want to stay here for a while." He said. "I'll catch up later."

Taichi scanned him for a moment, then he nodded. "Right." He turned back to the front, moving forward. "Come on guys, let's go."

"Shouldn't someone stay with him?" Jyou asked in concern.

Taichi looked back. He wanted badly to stay with Yamato, but he knew the blond needed some time to think over what he had said to him. He sighed. He was the leader anyway, he couldn't just leave the group, even if it was to make sure his love was alright.

Sora looked at Taichi as they walked along. Suddenly she stopped, her bangs hiding her face, and everyone turned to look at her.

"Sora?" Piyomon asked curiously.

"Sora-san?" Mimi questioned worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Sora gulped. Having made her decision, she looked up, smiling a little weakly, "Ah, I think I'll stay with Yamato-kun."

"You want to stay with Yamato?" Taichi asked, surprised.

Sora nodded, "We can't just leave him alone, can we?" She said, smiling. "Jyou-san is right. Someone should stay with him." She inhaled. "So, I'll stay."

"Sora…" Taichi said. He looked at Yamato, who had slid down against a tree, and nodded, "Right, I understand. I'll trust you to look after him."

"I will." Sora said, smiling. Taichi smiled back at her gratefully, then turned back around, waving towards the front and stepping forth.

"Let's go, everyone."

"But, Sora-san…" Mimi said hesitantly.

"And Yamato-kun." Jyou added. "Are you sure this is alright, Taichi?"

"Yeah." Taichi smiled reassuringly. "It's fine."

"Taichi-san," Koushiro started, looking up at the leader of their group. He inhaled. "Did something happen between you and Yamato-san?"

"Yeah, Taichi-san," Mimi leaned forward, blinking. "What did he say?"

Taichi clenched his fist. "He said he needed time." He replied simply.

"Time?" Takeru asked.

"Yeah." Taichi nodded. He glanced back to where Sora was walking towards Yamato, who had his chin on his knees. "We'll be alright."

Koushiro, Mimi, Jyou, Takeru and Hikari looked at their leader, who had fallen silent. They exchanged glances with each other, before nodding in silent agreement and deciding to give Taichi the space he needed.

* * *

><p>As the group walked away, Sora had reached Yamato's side. She looked at the blond, who was seemingly ignoring her presence, then shifted her gaze to their digimon. "Sorry Piyomon, Gabumon, but could you leave us for a while?"<p>

"Why?" Gabumon asked reluctantly.

"Ah, I need to talk to Yamato-kun," Sora told them, smiling, "It's important."

Gabumon and Piyomon blinked. They looked at each other, before Piyomon nodded. "I understand, Sora." She said, turning to Gabumon. "Let's go, Gabumon."

"But, Yamato…"

"He'll be alright!" Piyomon reassured, "Sora will be here with him, and she cares for her friends greatly!"

"Thank you, Piyomon." Sora smiled gratefully at her digimon. She then looked at Gabumon, who was still looking reluctant to leave his partner behind. "Sorry, Gabumon. Don't worry, I'll look after Yamato-kun for you."

Gabumon looked at her to see if she was telling the truth, and gave a nod. "Alright then…" he followed Piyomon as she lead him away.

"What do you want?" Yamato asked bluntly once Gabumon and Piyomon were gone.

Sora looked down at him. She wasted no time. "Taichi told you he loved you, didn't he?"

"Taichi told you." Yamato replied shortly.

Sora shook her head with a wry smile, "Actually, I kind of forced him to tell me," she said sheepishly. She attempted to meet Yamato's gaze, "And I told him to tell you."

"You're lucky, you know?" Sora said in the silence that followed, a sad touch to her smile. "Taichi can be a bit of an idiot at times, but he's a really kind person."

"I know," Yamato murmured. "That's why I don't deserve him."

"I'm sure Taichi can decide for himself whether you deserve him or not," Sora said wryly as she looked down at Yamato. "And by the looks of it, he thinks you do."

"That doesn't change the fact that I don't."

"Yamato-kun," Sora sighed, "Taichi really cares about you. Just let him love you, okay?"

"Aren't you disgusted?" Yamato mumbled, not looking at her. "We're both guys."

Sora raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course you're both guys," she said, as if she didn't get the meaning of Yamato's statement. "Unless you've been hiding something from us all this time?" Sora's lips curled in amusement. "In which case, I would have to feel really jealous of you as a fellow girl for taking my childhood friend away."

Yamato stared at Sora, who smiled and crouched down, reaching out her hands towards his chest. Flushing, he slapped her hands away, glaring, "What are you doing?_!_"

"I just wanted to make sure," Sora, who had wanted to lift up the dreary atmosphere, said innocently. She looked at him in amusement. "I didn't see Taichi paying attention to any guys before you..." She trailed off as she stared at Yamato's disbelieving blue eyes and the flush on his cheeks. Who knew teasing Yamato could be so fun? Perhaps this was why Taichi did it so often. Sora smiled, moving her hands away from Yamato, winking, "But well, Taichi would be angry at me if he found out I touched you before he did-"

"I'm a guy!" Yamato cut her off with an incredulous glare as he jabbed a finger at his flat chest for emphasis, and Sora couldn't help but grin.

"Really, Yamato Nadeshiko?" Sora said teasingly, raising an eyebrow at his flat chest. She placed a hand on her own fairly flat chest, smiling almost cheekily. "We're still young after all."

"It's Ishida." Yamato growled, twitching and trying to ignore her implication.

"Right, right," Sora waved her hands with a placating smile as Yamato glared at her. She grinned sheepishly. "It was just a joke, Yamato!"

Yamato huffed and averted his gaze with a scowl, and Sora watched him with that amusement in her eyes as if she knew he was thinking he couldn't believe this was happening to him – that Sora, of all people, was teasing him.

And Sora was right. Yamato's scowl deepened. First Taichi had said he loved him and now Sora was teasing him and implying he was a girl, which he wasn't. The blond snorted. What next? Takeru telling him he liked Hikari? Jyou confessing his love for Mimi out of the blue? Sora taking an interest in Koushiro? Koushiro saying suddenly he liked Mimi? Sora confessing her love for Taichi? Yamato scoffed. What a love triangle that would be.

_"Why is everything changing anyway?"_ Yamato thought darkly, _"Hasn't my life been changed enough?"_

Sora shook her head as Yamato's expression darkened, smiling wryly at him, then decided to return to the point. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

"Love is love, Yamato," she told the silent blond, "The gender of the person you love doesn't matter, as long as your feelings are sincere."

"What if I don't return his feelings?" Yamato wasn't looking at her, but he seemed to be aware of the change in atmosphere.

"Taichi wouldn't mind that much," Sora said knowingly, and Yamato felt surprise and slight envy at how well she knew Taichi. "He just wants to let you know he loves you. As long as you stay by his side, he wouldn't care whether you love him back or not." Sora continued. "He'll be happy if you do, and he'll be hurt if you don't, but Taichi-" Sora shook her head with a fond smile, "He gets back up fast, you know? He won't let a thing like unrequited love stop him from expressing his feelings for you."

"How do you know all this?" Yamato asked quietly as he remembered Taichi's words.

"I'm not only the holder of the crest of Love, but I'm also Taichi's childhood friend," Sora said, and Yamato looked up at her, "I've known Taichi for a long time. He's never fallen in love before you, and he may have been too stubborn and afraid to confess before today, but he's-" she paused, "The type of person who would go all out in showing he loves someone. It's just his nature. No one can stop him from showing his feelings to the person he loves. Not me, not you." Sora locked her gaze with Yamato's, "Taichi is the only one who can stop himself, and he won't."

"His nature, huh."

Sora nodded to him, "That's right. So you should just accept it," she said bluntly to the crouched blond. "Everyone else has." She turned her gaze briefly to where the rest of the group had gone, before looking back at Yamato. "It isn't that hard. You just have to accept his love for you. You don't even have to love him back."

Sora smiled wryly. She stood up, turning away. "Of course, if you love him back, no one will stop you either," she said as she glanced back at Yamato. "Certainly not Taichi."

"Not even you." Yamato voiced before he could stop himself, as Sora walked away.

Sora paused in her tracks, surprised. She looked back at Yamato, lips curling in that sad smile from before, "Yeah," she agreed softly. "Not even me."

Yamato stared up at her. "You like Taichi." He said.

"He loves you." Sora replied simply. She clenched her fist. "I want Taichi to be happy. I'm not the one who can make him happy." Sora narrowed her eyes at Yamato. "You are."

Sora inhaled, raising her gaze to the small bit of sky between the dense trees, "My feelings for him may fade away someday," she said almost hopefully as she stared up into the sky. "But his feelings for you won't."

Sora released a soft sigh, looking away from the sky, "Love is precious, Yamato," she told the blond with a melancholic smile, "It's something you should treasure."

With those words, the bearer of the crest of love turned and walked away, leaving the keeper of friendship to muse over what she had said.

* * *

><p>"Sora?"<p>

"Yeah, Piyomon?"

"Are you alright?" Piyomon questioned in concern as she watched Sora stare up at the sky. She glanced back to where Yamato was with Gabumon. "What did Yamato-kun say to you?"

"He didn't say anything to me," Sora smiled wryly as she stared at the bit of blue sky in between the dense forestry. "I said something to him."

"And it made him angry?" Piyomon said.

Sora thought about her digimon's words for a moment, "I don't know." She admitted. "Maybe it did."

"But, you were trying to help him right?" Piyomon pressed on, blinking her eyes, "Why did Yamato-kun get angry at you?"

Sora shrugged. "You'll have to ask him that."

"Well, you were just trying to help right?_!_" Piyomon pointed out, and Sora blinked as her digimon flew in front of her face, blocking her vision, Piyomon frowned. "He shouldn't be angry at you, Sora!"

"I'll go and tell him that!"

"Ah wait, Piyomon!" Sora held her hand out. Piyomon looked back, and she gave her digimon a reassuring smile. "It's alright, really!"

"Really?" Piyomon flew back to her friend, "But, he didn't appreciate Sora's kindness…it makes me mad!"

"Thank you, Piyomon," Sora said with a fond smile. She shifted her gaze to Yamato, "But, I think Yamato just needed some time alone."

"Gabumon's with him." Piyomon said, flapping down to the ground.

"Gabumon's different," Sora said. But she smiled at Piyomon, reaching out to ruffle the pink bird's fluffy feathers. "Thank you for caring, Piyomon. I love you."

Piyomon blushed. "No problem, Sora!" She said happily, moving forward to snuggle against her human companion and Sora smiled. "I love you too!"

"Gabumon…?"

Gabumon quickly turned his gaze away from Sora and Piyomon, "Yeah, Yamato?"

"Do you think…I'm stupid?"

"…Eh?"

Yamato sighed. He rested his chin on his knees, seeming to curl up on himself. "Tell me the truth, Gabumon," he said as he met his digimon's red eyes, "I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

"What are you saying, Yamato?_!_" Gabumon exclaimed, placing his paws on his partner's shoulders. "You're not an idiot!"

"Really?" Yamato asked dully. "Even if Taichi told me he loved me and I couldn't even say it back to him?"

"Yamato…"

"Even after Sora told me everyone would accept our relationship," Yamato murmured, turning his gaze to the ground, "I still can't…"

"Yamato," Gabumon said, and his serious voice made Yamato raise his gaze. Gabumon looked at him, his hands clutching onto Yamato's shoulders. "Do you love Taichi?"

"I...don't know."

"Do you like him then?"

"Yeah," Yamato admitted quietly. He clenched his fist, "I like him. But I don't know if I love him." He bit his lip. "I've never…fallen in love before."

"And neither has Taichi," Gabumon said, and Yamato looked at him in surprise. His digimon smiled at him, a perceptiveness in his red eyes Yamato couldn't help but notice. "Right?"

"That's what he said, yeah."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him…I needed time," Yamato said hesitantly. He'd never thought he would be speaking to Gabumon about his feelings for Taichi. But, he trusted Gabumon, his partner whom had saved his life so many times and cared for him like so few people did. "That I needed time to decide if I wanted to have a relationship with him."

Gabumon beamed, "Then that's fine, isn't it?" He asked. "Taichi accepted it, right?"

Yamato nodded. "I guess." He said softly.

"Yamato," Gabumon glanced back at Sora and Piyomon, then turned his attention back to the questioning blond. He inhaled. "All this time, I've been waiting for you. You're my only partner and I love you, Yamato. I want you to be happy."

"Gabumon…"

Gabumon smiled at him. "I'm sure Taichi wants you to be happy too!" He said brightly, "He'll understand."

"Even if I decide I don't return his feelings?"

Gabumon shrugged. "Probably." He said. "He told you he understood, didn't he?"

Yamato stared. He wondered if Gabumon had been watching him and Taichi, somehow. "Were you there?"

"Eh?" Gabumon blinked.

"Nothing," Yamato shook his head. It was impossible- Gabumon had been with the others when they came back to their camping spot in the forest. He looked up towards the sky. "I guess we should go."

"Don't worry, Yamato," Gabumon told him, smiling reassuringly. Yamato lowered his gaze as Gabumon patted his shoulder. "It'll be alright!"

"Yeah." Yamato smiled, feeling glad that Gabumon understood and didn't badger him on his indecision.

"Yamato," the blond turned his attention to where Sora was walking towards him, Piyomon with her. "Are you alright now?"

There was slight hesitance, but genuine concern in her voice. Yamato nodded at her, as Gabumon removed his paws from his shoulders. "Yeah." He said.

Sora smiled at him, relief in her orange eyes. "I'm sorry if I went overboard." She apologized sincerely.

"It's alright." Yamato said as he met her eyes. "You were just speaking the truth."

Sora blinked at him. Yamato watched as she smiled, and held out her hand to him. "Come on," she said. "Let's go back to the others, shall we?"

Yamato stared as déjà vu pricked him. He blinked at Sora's outstretched hand, then raised his gaze to her expectant one. "I guess." He said.

Sora smiled at him, still holding out her hand, and Yamato realized what she wanted. Sighing, he reached out and took hold of her hand, accepting her offer of friendship and allowing her to pull him up from the ground.

"Thanks." He said casually as he drew his hand away from Sora's and walked away from the tree.

Sora smiled, following him. "No problem."

They made their way towards the direction Taichi and the others had gone in silence. Gabumon and Piyomon looked at their partners, who were immersed in their thoughts.

"Hey Gabumon," Piyomon started quietly. "Do you know what's wrong with Yamato and Sora?"

Gabumon blinked, then looked at her. "Yamato's feeling…insecure." He said hesitantly, deciding to trust her. Piyomon was his friend after all.

"Sora seemed distracted just now," Piyomon revealed softly, glancing up at her partner, who had her gaze turned to the sky, "She told me she said something to Yamato-kun which made him angry."

"Hmmmm…" Gabumon mumbled.

"Do you know what's going on, Gabumon?" Piyomon asked, blinking. Her eyes softened as Gabumon turned to look at her, "I'm worried for Sora…she isn't acting like herself."

"It's Taichi." Gabumon told her bluntly.

"…Taichi?"

"Yeah. Yamato likes Taichi." Gabumon said. He looked up. Yamato and Sora had gone on ahead. Yamato's hands were in his pockets as he stared at the ground and Sora was still absorbed in the sky. He moved closer to his curious companion, and continued, "And Taichi likes Yamato."

"…And Sora likes…" Piyomon trailed off as she observed the two Digidestined, who were not even looking at each other. "…Taichi?"

"Probably." Gabumon replied.

"So…" Piyomon began hesitantly, "Sora's feelings for Taichi are…unrequited?"

"I guess."

"Then why is Yamato angry at Sora?_!_" Piyomon demanded angrily, causing Gabumon to blink at her in surprise. She narrowed her eyes, thrusting her beak out indignantly, "Sora should be the one who's angry at him!"

Gabumon stared. "Yamato's angry at Sora?"

"…He isn't?"

Gabumon looked at his partner, then turned his gaze back to Piyomon. "I don't think he's angry at Sora," he said. "He doesn't seem to be."

Piyomon stared back at him, "But he isn't even looking at her!"

"Sora isn't looking at Yamato either." Gabumon pointed out wryly.

"Eh? Are they angry at each other then?" Piyomon blinked in confusion, "But Sora didn't seem angry at Yamato either!"

Gabumon blinked. "Eh…" he said, "I guess they're just thinking about Taichi?"

"Oh." Piyomon blinked. She sighed, rubbing her pink, furry head, "Human relationships are so confusing!"

"I know." Gabumon agreed, his gaze on Yamato.

"Hey Gabumon, do you think there's anything we can do?"

"Not really," Gabumon admitted after some thought. "We don't even know how long this is going to last."

"…We're useless then?" Piyomon asked sadly.

"Of course not!" Gabumon tried to cheer his friend up at her forlorn expression. He smiled at the pink bird, "We'll just have to wait and see. No matter what, they'll need us there for them."

Piyomon beamed, "I like the sound of that!" She declared energetically, "No matter what, I'll always be there for Sora! I'll protect her!"

"And I will protect Yamato." Gabumon said, red eyes slightly glazed over. Piyomon blinked at him and he smiled at her, reaching out a furry paw to pat her fluffy pink feathers.

"It'll be alright."

* * *

><p>And that concludes the end of <em>To From a Heart. :) <em>Please review.

Oh and _Yamato Nadeshiko_ means, 'Perfect Woman'. It's a Japanese cultural term. I actually had a sequel in mind, but I don't think I will have time to write it until the end of this year, especially with my new ideas for Taito fanfics. It's supposed to take place in Season 02. And wow, this is the first time I've completed a multi chapter story! What an accomplishment. Well if I do write a sequel it'll be called, _Forming a Heart_. Thanks for reading this story, and do support my other Taito fics as well :) Currently, I am working on _Door_, which is based on Yamato's Drama CD, and I should have an AU up soon. I'm trying to finish _Valentines' Day Secret_ as well.

But I did write a scene for the sequel, and so I'll leave it as a parting gift:

_"It's ironic isn't it," Yamato said suddenly and Sora looked at him. He smiled wryly at her. "You hold the crest of love and I hold the crest of friendship, but now," he raised his gaze to the sun in the sky, then turned his gaze to Taichi. "I treasure love more than friendship, and you treasure friendship more than love."_

_Sora smiled. "In the past, I did treasure love," she admitted. "I wanted to have love more than friendship, but I realized…" she bit her lip. "That it was no use if my love didn't feel the same way."_

_"Sora…"_

_"But, it's because of my love that I wanted him to be happy, that I could treasure friendship instead," Sora spoke honestly, "My feelings for him now may not be as strong as they were back then, but I still care about him greatly. And, right now," she smiled at Yamato, "I'm happy that I made the right decision. Because Taichi looks the happiest I've ever seen him, and if you love someone, you'll want them to be happy no matter what."_

_"Sora…you're, a really kind person," Yamato said slowly as he met her eyes, "You really deserve Taichi more than me."_

_"Taichi loves you, Yamato," Sora reminded him in wry amusement. "He loves you, and only you. Only you can make him happy."_

_"Yeah," Yamato replied with a fond smile. He let out a sigh, "Sorry. I guess I was being really selfish," he said, as he thought back to the past. "Not only was I jealous of you for knowing Taichi so well, I didn't want to tell Taichi I returned his feelings because I was afraid of being in love." He bit his lip. "So, I just kept them hidden in order to not be hurt. I was the coward, not Taichi."_

_Sora blinked. Then she smiled at him, and said softly, "You've changed, Yamato."_

_"People change," Yamato replied simply. Sora watched as his eyes softened as he turned his gaze from her to Taichi._

_ "You, me, and Taichi."_


End file.
